Chapter 723: Chapter 455 Nobody Understands Players Better Than Me
The next second, chaos erupted within the city.
A series of hair-raising roars burst forth, resembling those of wild beasts, yet more terrifying than any animal. Subsequently, shriveled figures that looked burnt and twisted began to swarm over the castle ramparts…
They retained some human features, but their limbs were unnaturally contorted, their skin was fierce like severe burns and riddled with cracks, oozing a vivid red liquid that resembled both lava and blood.
Their faces were beyond recognition, the facial features untraceable, with only empty eye sockets deep and dark, seemingly exuding a terrifying hatred and malice that wanted to slaughter every living thing in the world.
Chen Lun flicked his finger, and his index finger flew off, turning into a small white snake that swam against the blood rain and magically floated up into the sky.
Through its perspective, Chen Lun looked down upon the grisly scene within the city.
The people who had been turned to ash by the unfading fire, after being “irrigated” by the blood rain, underwent a bizarre transformation. Flesh and blood sprouts emerged from their ashen remains, weaving together to reconstitute their bodies, transforming them into burnt and twisted human forms.
These dead were not just the garrison soldiers, but also countless ordinary residents.
The small white snake hovering in the blood rain’s altitude, with mist passing through its emerald vertical pupils, allowed Chen Lun to use Peek Life and see information about these twisted bodies.
‘Flesh and Sin Penalty Ritual?’
On the ground, Chen Lun’s brows slightly furrowed.
‘These ritual-transformed twisted bodies are called “Fallen Flesh Puppets.” They’re similar to the Fallen Believers from the Red Calamity plague, yet more powerful… They seem to be specifically created to counter the Sun’s siege weapons. Through high-temperature burning, flesh reconstruction, mystic contamination, and intense resentment and hatred, they finally entangle the almost dissipating spirituality, transforming into these pollution-based monstrosities.’
He analyzed quietly to himself, drawing on his knowledge of Mystery Studies to observe similarities with the “Desecrated Duke” Ragnar’s rituals. This blood rain was somewhat akin to the ritual that had created the colossal beast “Fallen Body.”
Quickly, the twisted body monsters leapt down from the castle and surged toward the Imperial Army.
The Imperial Army officers did not allow the surprise to disrupt their attack rhythm. They whistled calmly and directed the soldiers to shoot.
Facing the blood rain with steely expressions, they raised their flintlock rifles and pulled the triggers.
Though their helmets and uniforms corroded by the blood rain and their bodies wracked with searing pain, their iron wills remained unshaken.
They only needed to fire, reload, and fire again!
The numerous Fallen Flesh Puppets contorted their bodies and charged, adopting bizarre poses like spiders crawling, moving with their limbs touching the ground and bodies arching at odd angles that made them difficult to target.
Their elusive trajectory allowed them to dodge some bullets.
However, on the battlefield, countless firearms didn’t aim specifically. Once the curtain of bullets descended, the Fallen Flesh Puppets were naturally hit by the oncoming shots.
Regrettably, other than spraying blood with each impact, they hardly slowed down.
Soon, apart from a few Fallen Flesh Puppets torn apart by concentrated fire, the rest broke through the Imperial Army’s lines, commencing a bloody massacre.
Imperial Army soldiers were brutally dismembered, their heads and arms torn off; their firearms and bayonets were utterly ineffective in retaliation.
Though the soldiers were well-trained and strong-willed, they were still within the realm of ordinary humans… Confronted with these ritual-transformed monstrosities, they seemed utterly powerless.
The Fallen Flesh Puppets still radiated intense heat, and even if some soldiers weren’t killed outright, they would be burned alive after coming into contact with the monsters’ blood.
The open ground before the castle now echoed with screams and roars, amidst the incessant firing, indicating the severity of the battle.
In the rear, atop a hastily constructed watchtower.
General Vance observed the battle in silence before putting down his monocular, his expression grim.
“Is this what you all were longing for? Willingly subjecting yourselves to Beelzebub’s manipulation, turning into mere dogs under their command, just to bite at the Empire? Ridiculous!”
Two aides-de-camp and a few military officials stood on the platform with him, their expressions extremely solemn, seemingly troubled by the serious challenges impeding the Imperial Army’s advance and the rapidly mounting casualties.
“General, at this rate, we will suffer heavy losses,” said an aide-de-camp somberly.
General Vance pondered for a moment, then turned his head slightly.
“Have the representatives from the Moon Church, Hailing Group, and Generous Council come here…”
The aide-de-camp immediately grasped the general’s intention.
If the enemy was using transcendental methods from the Mystic Realm on a large scale, it only made sense to seek help from the “professionals.”
Before long, Nun Suha, Priest Kuni, and Chen Lun were escorted to the watchtower.
General Vance gestured for his subordinates to hand over three monoculars.
However, Priest Kuni waved his hand, politely declining.
“General, we are already aware of the situation,” he said.
General Vance, seemingly expecting this, nodded in agreement.
After all, these three were high-ranking clergy of the Church and likely possessed abilities unknown to him, allowing them to scout the battlefield without the aid of tools.
“In that case, have you been able to discern what exactly those monsters sent by the enemy are?” General Vance inquired.
“It seems to be a kind of nefarious ritual related to flesh that can transform ordinary people… From them, I sense an unpleasant pollution. In a one-on-one situation, even a low-ranking Transcendent might struggle to contend with them.”